It's official: with the launch of Research In Motion's PlayBook tablet now just a month away, the BlackBerry maker's battle against Apple and Google is at the cusp of a fierce new phase.
RIM said on Tuesday its tablet will finally hit store shelves April 19, seven months after the device was announced.
The North American rollout will come almost a month after Apple's iPad 2 goes on sale outside of the United States, where it sold up to 1 million units in its first weekend alone.
On Tuesday, Apple confirmed it would start selling the iPad 2 in more 25 countries from Friday. [ID:nN22147683] That eased concerns that the crisis in Japan might curtail the supply of crucial components for electronic devices. Shares in both Apple and RIM closed higher.
As it enters the tablet market, RIM has little room for error and a small window to impress. It was once undisputed king of mobile communications, but slicker Google Android and Apple products have become must-haves for young consumers while also threatening RIM's corporate bastion.
"The big question is the Playbook's appeal to those not already part of the BlackBerry world," said CCS Insight's Geoff Blaber.
While investors await the consumer's verdict, the Canadian company has one more set of quarterly results to unveil without the PlayBook.
The report, due Thursday, is likely to show RIM's global growth story on track. As with recent quarters, the catalysts are sure to be higher overseas sales of cheaper handsets and U.S. discounts. Turmoil at Nokia, the leader in the low-end of the market, probably didn't hurt matters either.
The PlayBook will likely contribute only marginally to sales and earnings this year. Even so, it represents a nascent opportunity for RIM in a booming tablet marketplace.
RIM is hoping the PlayBook's natural affinity with its corporate-friendly smartphones gives sales an early boost and offsets a move by more companies to allow workers to use their own non-BlackBerry smartphones to access work-related email and data.
Unlike the almost 10-inch iPad, the 7-inch PlayBook boasts support for Flash, but the RIM tablet will not ship with its own cellular connection until mid-year.
The first version of the PlayBook pairs with a BlackBerry smartphone for features such as corporate email and to any smartphone for connectivity when not near a WiFi connection.
News Source:
The Daily Star